Ripples in a Pond : Unanswered Questions
by Beth C
Summary: How does the death of Chris Benoit affect the rest of the WWE Roster?  A series of one shots that takes a look at the consequences.  Like Ripples in a pond, everyone is affected.  Updated with Chapter 4 : Chris Jericho.  No flames please!  R&R!
1. Triple H

_**Triple H**_

It has been a week now since I had heard of Chris' death and I'm still in shock over all of it. Every day now new information is being released and none of it exonerates him. The media coverage keeps getting worse and worse with each passing day.

I glance towards the side of the room where Steph is busy tending to Aurora. I love my wife with everything I am and my daughter is the light of my life. How could Chris do this to his own family?

I lean back in my chair and think back to that fateful Monday evening when we had first found out.

We had been at the arena not more than 45 minutes, pulling up in our luxury bus and parking it near the entrance. I had decided to make the trip with Steph, knowing that she was going to need help with Aurora. She was slated to make another appearance to further the 'Mr. McMahon is dead' storyline. It was not one I agreed with in any way, shape or form; but once Vince got an idea in his head, no matter how macabre, he usually ran with it. You could not talk him out of it if you tried.

We had barely settled in when I heard a knock upon the door. I get up and answer it, partially surprised to see Vince standing just outside. He usually waited for Steph inside in his office to go over any final plans before the show. One glance at his face and body language told me instantly that something serious was wrong.

I step out of the way and allow him to enter. "Vince? What's wrong?" I ask as he passes by me to go sit on one of the small couches inside. I'm almost dreading his answer. I've only seen that look on his face a few times and each time it was followed by real devastating news.

"Is Stephanie here?" He asks quietly, scrubbing one hand over his face. "I need to talk to the both of you." His voice is eerily calm compared to the concern radiating out of his pores.

"Yeah. Yeah, she is. She's in the back getting Aurora dressed." I tell him and start to walk towards the back of the bus. "Are you okay? Do you want a drink or something?" I turn back to look at him.

He shakes his head. "Just get Stephanie." He leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees, and puts his head in his hands.

He was usually the pillar of composure, the bedrock everyone could lean upon. To see him like this was really setting my insides churning. I turn back to the doorway to the sleeping area and knock on the door before opening it.

I see Steph inside putting Aurora's socks and shoes on her small feet. My daughter gurgles up at me from where she was laying on the bed. Steph looks up at me and smiles, then it fades as she really gets a good look at me. "Hunter? Is something wrong?" She leans down and picks up the baby.

I shrug. "Vince is here and he's not looking very well. He wants to talk to us." I hold out my hands and Steph puts the baby in them. I shift Aurora until she is resting close to my chest.

My wife pushes past me and steps into the small hallway, passing the built in shower stall to get to her father. She finds him still leaning forward, looking like his world had just caved in. I follow her out and stop just behind her as she takes a seat on the couch next to him. One hand reaches around to touch his back and the other to lift his face to look at her. "Daddy? What happened? Is Mom okay? Is Shane?"

I rest my free hand on her shoulder, ready to lend support if she needed it.

Vince sighs heavily as he takes Steph's hand in his and strokes it with his thumb. "I have some terrible news. I was just contacted by the Fayetteville Police Department." His voice is full of sorrow. "Chris Benoit, his wife Nancy and their little boy Daniel were found dead."

I feel my stomach drop from my body to fall down around my ankles. I look at Steph and she has brought her free hand up to cover her mouth which has opened in shock. Her eyes have grown wide as she takes in a breath of air.

I quickly sit in one of the chairs across from the couch before I dropped my daughter. "What?" I ask automatically.

Vince swallows thickly, his adam's apple bobbing with the effort. "I don't have the details yet, but I had Corporate contact the police down there when we could not get in contact with Chris." He sighs again and I can see him fighting tears. "They entered the house and found the bodies."

"No!" Stephanie cries out and tears form in her eyes, spilling over and rolling down her cheeks.

The rest of he night was a blur as Vince cancelled the show, turned the fans away and had most of the superstars leave. A select few he allowed to stay and tape segments to appear on what was now going to be a three hour tribute to Chris Benoit. Steph and I taped segments, of course as Chris had been our friend. When we spoke, it was from our hearts.

Vince pulled the plug on his storyline without a second thought. As we watched the RAW show, I couldn't help but wonder just what had happened. All we were told was that Chris' family was sick and he had to fly home immediately. I hadn't heard from him since.

Steph cried most of the night and I had a hard time keeping my own tears at bay. We were losing too many good guys the past few years. Chris was only slightly older than me. This shook me to my very core.

I shake my head and dismiss the memory of that night. The following day the details had starting coming out and people were outraged at the news. I felt numb myself, not sure if what I was hearing was correct. I was hurting, my wife was hurting and we didn't know how to deal with the new facts. We had just lost a man we considered a very close friend in a very unfriendly way.

The next few days were a roller coaster ride of accusations, speculation, denial, and finally withdrawal. Vince had no other choice than to retract his tribute to Chris and pull all mentions of the man from the website. I took my wife and we headed back to our home in Nashua. We needed to get out of the limelight before we were raked over the coals for our small spots in the tribute show.

Steph now wanted nothing to do with the whole situation. Any mention of it brought a death glare from her eyes and a cold shoulder. As a new mother, I couldn't blame her. I still found it hard to believe that he was gone, let alone what they were saying that he did.

I swallow away the rising emotions in me as I watch Steph play with our daughter. The circumstances were too bizarre to be real, yet somehow there were. Like a bad horror flick, yet we couldn't just get up and walk away. We still had to wait for the toxicology reports, but it was pretty much an open and shut case so far.

No matter what the reports came back saying, the damage was done. Chris' memory had been forever tarnished in the hearts and minds of his fans. Nothing could bring him back, nor restore the image he had worked 20+ years to build up. In one weekend, it was gone. No Hall of Fame for him now, no mentions of his name on the air again. It was like he never existed.

Yet the ache in my heart told me he had. He had existed, become part of our extended family and had now taken himself out of the equation without a note or explanation; taking his wife and son with him. No one was ever going to know the whole complete truth.

I sigh and rub at my eyes as I hear Steph call my name. I had to put my thoughts away for now, as I had a family I needed to be with. I would deal with my own private feelings later, when I was alone and more able to let them out. Chris left a big void in all our lives. It was not going to be easy getting past this death, or closing the hole in my heart. I get up and walk over to Steph and hug her before leaning down and giving my daughter a kiss on the head. The most I could do right now would be to just take each day as the gift it was and never take those I loved for granted.


	2. Shawn Michaels

_**Shawn Michaels**_

It's unbelievable. In the course of my career, I had been thankful for many things. I was thankful that my job brought me to my wife. I was thankful for the fans and their cheers, week in and week out. I was even thankful for the friends I had made and the friendships I had forged, having to travel long distances without my wife.

Now I had something else to add to the list. I was thankful that I was injured. Normally an injury that takes you out for more than a few weeks was not something the boys wished for or wanted to deal with. It was something to be lamented, and rehabbed as quickly as possible. The only goal was to get over it quickly and get your butt back into the limelight before the fans moved on and forgot about you.

This time my injury was a blessing in disguise. As much as I hated to have to finally have that knee surgery I had been putting off for month after month, I have to admit that being off the road is keeping me out of trouble.

I'll never forget that night when I heard the news a week ago. I had been sitting in my living room, watching Cameron and Cheyenne playing on the floor in front of me, coloring in their coloring books, arguing normally over who had the crayon that the other one wanted. It was a scene that I didn't mind watching and even made me smile.

I heard the phone ring and glance up to see Rebecca come out of the kitchen and pick up the cordless. She smiles at me and clicks the phone on before bringing it to her ear. After a minute or so, she starts to frown and walks over to me, looking quite puzzled. I cock my head and frown myself as she hands me the phone, saying simply, "It's Hunter and he doesn't sound good."

It was still over an hour from the time RAW was supposed to start. The only thing that comes to my mind is that something is going wrong with the 'Mr. McMahon is dead' storyline that they were supposed to be filming tonight. I thank my wife quietly and bring the phone to my ear as Rebecca leans down and tells the kids to pick up the crayons and get ready for bed.

"Hey, Hunter. What's up?" I ask.

When he speaks the first thing I notice is that his voice is a bit thick, like he had recently been crying. "Shawn. I didn't want you to find out any other way so I thought I'd give you a call myself."

I'm put on instant alert. "What's wrong? Is it Steph or the baby?" My mind races as I think of things that could possibly put him in this state.

"No. Steph and Aurora are okay. Well, the baby is. Steph's in the other room right now, trying to calm down." He states and I nod at my wife who now has the kids in the hallway. I wait until they are out of earshot. Whatever this was it wasn't good for little ears to hear.

"I'm alone, Trips. What's going on?" I question, hoping that it's nothing that I have to jump in the car for. I knew they were at Corpus Christi tonight. It wasn't that far away, but it was more than a drive that my leg would be ready for.

He sighs heavily. "It's Chris."

I frown. "Chris? Benoit?" I ask, wondering if he had possibly meant Jericho. Too many people in our business shared the same name. "I heard he missed the Pay Per View last night."

Hunter chokes back a sob and I can tell already that he's got a very thin grip on his emotions. His next words send my world into a tailspin. "Shawn, Chris and his family were found dead in their home just a few short hours ago."

Ice cold blood runs through my veins as I feel the world stop spinning. "What?" I wasn't sure if I had heard him correctly. "Benoit is dead?"

Hunter begins to cry as I hear his voice break. "Yeah, Shawn. He's gone. We don't have the full details yet, but Vince is doing a three hour tribute show tonight in his memory." He takes a shuddering breath and then tries to continue. "Vince cancelled RAW and his storyline."

I'm looking around the room for my crutches, leg brace and whatever else I would need to get in the car. It's a wonder I can think at all with the current state my mind was in. I bow my head and say a silent prayer for them before speaking into the phone. "I'll be right over, Hunter. You just sit put."

He takes another breath. "No, Shawn. I'll be okay. You stay put. I don't want you stressing your leg right now."

"It's no problem, Trips. You're just a few hours away." I reply quickly. "If you need me, I'm there, you know that."

He sighs. "I know. Really, I'll be okay. It's just so unexpected. I just wanted you to know before you saw the tribute show and were surprised."

I sigh heavily. "Yeah, that would have really knocked me for a loop. I appreciate you taking the time to call me." I tell him quietly.

"No problem, Bud. I have to go now, Shawn." He replies and his voice cracks again.

"I understand. Listen, if you need to call me back later, please don't hesitate to pick up the phone. I don't care if it's 3am in the morning. If you need to talk, I'm here, okay?" I state emphatically. "I mean it, Hunter."

"Thank you." He replies as he chokes up with barely held back emotion. "It takes something like this to make you realize just how much you take people for granted, y'know?"

"Yeah. I know. I think I'll go tell Becca just how much she means to me." I reply. "Take care, Trips. Don't be a stranger."

"Talk to you later, Shawn." He speaks softly. "You know I love you, right?"

"Love you too, Bud. You're closer than a brother to me." I tell him right back as I feel the grip I had on my emotions start to falter. "Give Steph and Aurora a hug from us."

"Will do. Bye, Shawn." He answers and hangs the phone up.

I click my phone off and stare at it disbelievingly. How could this have happened? Chris Benoit? Dead? I know I must have sat there for a good long while, as I am unaware of anything around me until I feel a warm hand on my shoulder. I look up to see Becca standing there, concern etched in every inch of her face.

Without a word I stand up and wrap my arms around her, pulling her to me and burying my head into her hair. Slowly and quietly I whisper in her ear what I had just been told. She comforts me when I break down and ends up holding me throughout the RAW tribute show.

A week later and numerous reports and I'm actually glad I had gotten injured. Now at least I was out of the limelight and not being harassed for interviews. It's good too, as I really didn't know what I could say. I thought I had known the man, pretty well too. Now I was just as lost and confused as everyone else.

I do not envy Hunter his early comeback. Right at a time when the WWE was looking pretty dark and Vince was being held accountable. I can only hope that my best friend brings a ray of sunlight with him on his return. Lord knew we needed it and the fans needed it, just to put this terrible tragedy behind us.


	3. Edge

_**Edge**_

I reach over and turn the stereo down as the song cycles again. It had been a hard week for me, with the first two days being the most difficult. When I had first been told of Chris' death, I had lost it. He was one of the few people I could confide in when I had a problem. After my promo I had gone into my dressing room and cried like I hadn't cried in a long time.

I barely remember the rest of the night, as I had to be helped back to my hotel. I couldn't drive and I couldn't comprehend the fact that Chris was just not coming back. I had raided the mini bar and had basically drunk myself to sleep.

The next day was even harder as I had to pull myself together. I was Smackdown's champion and even though I wanted to fall apart, I couldn't. By the time the tapings rolled around I was pretty good at hiding how I felt.

I heard the news reports and was stunned. I thought of all the times I had traveled with him and I wonder why he didn't come to me if he needed help. All he had to do was pick up the phone and I would have been there for him.

That hurt that he didn't. If he had only taken that one step. If only he had reached out. I tortured myself that week with 'if onlys' and 'what ifs' until I couldn't take it any more. I stopped watching the news and listening to the reports.

I was angry now. During the day I hid it well, making the most of my day by going to the gym and working out most of my anger or staying around to greet fans when I could. Vince had us stay in town as he was going to make up to the fans for canceling the show that Monday night. It gave me a lot of free time that I didn't really need.

At night it was the same; the routine never changed. I would get into my room and put on the CD I had bought at the small record shop. It hadn't been easy to find the CD but using my influence, I had managed to secure a copy. Finger Eleven's CD was now one of the most sought after CD's in Corpus Christi. So I would put the CD in the small boom box I had bought and forward it to the one song that I would set to repeat. One Thing. It's the only song on the CD that I would listen to.

It's the only time during the entire day that I would acknowledge what had happened. Every night for a week as I had watched the reports roll in. Every night except the one that I wrestled for Smackdown.

People deal with their grief in their own ways. In this case it was hard to deal with as everyone just wanted to forget that Chris even existed. I couldn't do that. No matter what he had been accused of doing, I just could not turn my back on his memory. So I would put on my CD, turn the lights down low and let it cycle. Music has always been a big part of my life and it was also an escape of sorts.

Sometimes it would make me cry. Mostly it made me forget my anger and try to focus on the Chris I knew, inside and outside the ring. I had been asked to hang out with some of the guys after the show, but I had refused, knowing I wouldn't be good company to hang out with. I just needed time to grieve.

I also needed someone to talk to, but the one person I used to confide in was the source of my anger as he was gone. So was Eddie. That left only one other person and I wasn't sure if she would be up to talking to me.

Thursday I had picked up the phone and almost dialed her number. I actually got halfway through it before hanging up. I hadn't called her in months. I hung up the phone and went back to listening to the song.

By Sunday, I couldn't take it any longer. I needed to have comfort from someone. I knew I was torturing myself. I just had to swallow my pride and reach out. It was this thought that changed my mind. If Chris had just reached out... I sigh and pick up the phone after turning the CD down.

I dial her number and wait when the phone rings. She picks it up with a quiet, "Hello?"

"Lita? It's Adam. I need to talk..."


	4. Chris Jericho

_**Chris Jericho**_

Normal. I had it once, or at least something that resembled normal in my life. Now that it was gone, I really longed for it. How I wished I could turn back the clock in my life to just a few weeks prior and keep the knowledge that I have now. Everyone wishes that at least once in their life, I'm sure.

Right now my life is so abnormal that I'm guessing it's going to stay that way for now. I barely have time to think, and still have yet to grieve fully for the man I had lost in my life. I've just been too busy right now.

It all goes back to about a week ago, when I had the brief chance to come home and visit my wife and kids before hitting the road again. Fozzy was keeping my busy as was the tour for promoting my new book that was coming out. Suffice it to say, I was pretty well booked.

Well, this Monday night, I was home and the kids had just gone off to bed. I was looking forward to a night of relaxation with my wife, and on a whim we decided to check in with the latest RAW show.

Now normally, I don't watch the show. I don't have time for it and the storylines had been getting pretty outlandish. I had heard of the most recent one where Vince blows himself up in a limo. Unless you lived under a rock, you had to know about it. I may have been busy, but I wasn't living under any rocks.

So, I'm in the kitchen while my wife Jessica is on the couch, flipping the TV to the RAW show. She wanted something to drink and I was a bit thirsty too. Figuring that the start of the show would just a be a recap of the previous week, I had gotten up to get the sodas.

Before the cans are even fully in my hands I hear my wife calling out my name frantically. There is her normal calling and then there is the type of call that makes you rush into the room, thinking the worst. This was the latter of the two that I heard from the kitchen.

I race into the living room, and there in the screen is Vince. The arena is empty and on the Titantron behind him is a rather large picture of Chris Benoit with the numbers 1967-2007. I stare at the TV as my wife does the same.

"This is not funny anymore, Jess." I speak softly and put the sodas down on the coffee table. "If this is Vince's idea of a joke, it's a sick one."

She gets up and comes over to touch my arm. "I don't think it is one." She states as pictures of Nancy and Daniel get added to the graphic on the screen.

My legs buckle and I have to sit down before I fall over. "My God." It's the only two words I can utter as the tribute show now starts. We watch as our friends start giving their memories of Chris.

"Tell me I'm dreaming, Jess." I speak quietly, feeling tears prick at my eyes.

"You're not." She says quietly and hold out her arms.

I fall into them and get a small measure of comfort as the show plays on behind us. By the time it ends I'm already on the phone with as many people as I could get to talk to me. I don't even recall making it to bed that night.

The next day everything bad hits the fan and then some. Normal is now gone from my life as I watch people start to rip Chris' memory to shreds. Every detail that came out was even more mystifying for me. Chris couldn't do these things! He just couldn't. He was accused, tried and convicted by the media in less than a day.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to vent. I wanted people to realize that if Chris did these things then it wasn't the Chris that everyone knew and loved. Was it just me that saw something wrong in all the details being released and not adding up? I knew Chris and I knew he loved his wife and son very much.

I begin to make the necessary phone calls and my wife understood that this was something I needed to do. I booked appearances on as many shows as I could to get the word out. People were misreading facts and twisting things out of control. I had to get out there and straighten out the misconceptions being thrown out in Chris' name.

Now it's a week later and I'm not sure how much good it has done. People still won't listen to facts and are quick to judge. I wasn't surprised to see Vince turn his back on Chris, almost to the point of erasing him from existence. This was loyalty? I'm confused as well as hurting now.

The investigation continues and I follow it as much as I'm able. It seems like they keep looking in the wrong directions as they have yet to find a motive for what has happened. My sleeping schedule is thrown off and my whole attitude has changed.

I really feel for Chris' two surviving kids as they now have to deal with this insanity. If nothing else I would continue to plug away at this mystery myself when I can. I owed it to them to find the truth. If no one else was going to be the voice of reason, then I had to be. There were facts and truths that needed to be spoken. It was the least I could do for the man I had once called friend.


End file.
